“Finding your life’s work involves taking risks”.

Taking risks is non-negotiable when it comes to living your true purpose and calling. If you are unwilling to take risks, you’ll find yourself living in the safety of your comfort zone. You’ll  have an idea of what to expect here, and yet it comes with a cost. Eventually you’ll find yourself making some type of sacrifice, either physically, emotionally, spiritually or financially if you choose to take up permanent residence in your comfort zone.

I read the quote above this week as I was perusing the book “Boundaries” by Doctors Henry Cloud and John Townsend. To be frank, it pierced my soul in deep places. I’ve always known this statement to be true, yet this week more than ever it has significant relevance to me personally. This is because on August 31^st, 2010, I officially stepped into partnership with my friend and colleague Wendy Balman to create something new in the field of leadership development.

On the one hand, I am thrilled beyond words! The flip side is that this commitment feels risky and scary. Now that I’m “all in”, I am faced with managing the tension that comes with a major change such as this.

It’s all a part of a larger story that is being worked out in my life. For seven years I have been a solopreneur working as a professional certified coach. I knew I was on the target paper when it came to my business niche, yet I’ve known for years that I still hadn’t found the bulls-eye. I wonder if you can relate?

This season is one of taking ownership of who I am so I can “find my life’s work” and live in that sweet spot where I have greater impact with less effort. This was confirmed as I continued to read what Cloud and Townsend shared in the Chapter on Boundaries at Work.

“Finding your life’s work involves taking risks. First you need to firmly establish your identity, separating yourself from those you are attached to and following your desires. You must take ownership of how you feel, how you think and what you want. You must assess your talents and limitations. And then you must begin to step out as God leads you.” Henry Cloud & John Townsend

Are you willing (and ready) to take risks to find your life’s work?

Do you know how you feel, what you believe and what you want?

I highly recommend you take a moment to ponder these questions. As you head into the fall season in your life and business, now is the time to gain clarity around your answers. When you need support our team, which now includes Wendy, is here to partner with you. Contact us directly if you have questions or need more information beyond our website resources.

Take a stand today for your life’s work! Begin by making the risky choice to take ownership of your identity and embrace the unfolding story.

This week’s blog post is one that I shared as a guest blogger on the topic of building an authentic and sustainable direct sales business.  Julie Anne Jones and I have been friends and colleagues now for over 7 years and to support her while on vacation, I offered tips and insight below. Be sure to learn more about Julie Anne by visiting her website and read on for insight that will help you find internal peace and external impact whether you have a direct sales business, are a self-employed entrepreneur or a woman with a full life!

In my work as a professional certified coach, I’ve found that women in business often look outside of themselves to gain answers to their questions for their lives and businesses, which can be both a blessing and a curse.

You definitely want to gather best practices and insight from the experts who are proven successes in their field because you can learn great tips from them. This is the blessing of working with companies like Julie Anne Jones, Inc., who have resources, coaching, and training to help you and your teams grow to the next level of mastery and excellence.

At the same time, you can become too outward focused to the point where you lose sight of who you are and what you want to create. If you spend all of your time gathering information from the experts, you can become distracted, overwhelmed and lose your focus which can become a curse that diminishes your results in both your business and your life.

So what’s the answer? In my opinion, it’s about learning how to bloom where you are planted by going inward to discover the answers that live within. Once you have this insight, you can blend this knowledge with tips from the experts to catapult you to a flourishing business that is sustainable and prosperous beyond your wildest dreams.

So how do you get there?

As coaches, we use a tool called the Wheel of Life which helps you assess your level of fulfillment and satisfaction in eight different areas of life, ranging from career, fun, family and finances to your spirituality. After working with this tool for over 6 years, I began to realize it took my clients out of the heart and into the head, leading them to answers outside of themselves as they tried to “figure out” how to build prosperous businesses and balance their careers with the other areas of their lives. The end result was often overwhelm, frustration and lack luster results.

I now use a new tool called the Flower of Life to support my clients in creating thriving lives and prosperous businesses. As you’ll see by the image to the right, the center of the flower is your spirituality where the core essence of the authentic you lives. The center of this flower represents the heart of you which holds the answers to your unique values, identity, mission and purpose. With this inner wisdom, you can use these filters to make purposeful and intentional choices which produce improved results in all areas of your life as represented by the petals of the flower. Notice the impact will benefit your business, relationships and more.

The bottom line here is that knowing who you are at the core provides you with filters (i.e. your values, identity, mission and purpose) that will propel your direct sales business to a new level, allowing you to flourish in your work as you thrive in your life at the same time.

Now is the time to bloom where you’re planted. Begin today discovering who you are within so you can flourish personally and professionally during this fall selling season.

© Copyright 2010, Shannon Bruce

Shannon Bruce, PCC is a Mompreneur Success Coach, Trainer and Co-Author of the book “Direct Selling Power: Expert Advice to Accelerate your Business”. As a catalyst for life transformation, Shannon empowers self-employed women to break through their barriers to reconnect with what really matters, calling them forth to boldly go after their inspired life vision with courage, confidence and authenticity. For more information about Shannon and her work you can visit www.shannonbruce.com and www.yourgreaterpurpose.com. Receive a free audio download of Shannon’s Direct Selling Telesummit Training on her book chapter, “Ignite your Passion and Live with Purpose” when you e-mail shannon@shannonbruce.com.

This question “For the sake of what?” is one that all business owners ask at some point. It doesn’t matter whether your business is in direct sales, if you are a professional coach or some other self-employed entrepreneur. There is a time when this question will be the question whether you are fully aware of it or not.

It’s a seemingly large and provocative question. As you read it, I wonder what’s happening for you in this moment? Where does it take you? You might be pondering your answer or perhaps, you are about ready to hit delete because the question seems overwhelming or irrelevant to where you are in life/work right now.

Wherever you find yourself, I invite you to sit and stay with me. Your answer to this question is crucial to your ongoing success in your life and business.

Yesterday was a perfect “real life” example of this for me. I blocked the entire day to work on administrative projects for my business, which I’d been resisting for months. With deadlines looming I could no longer put it off. Several times throughout the day I noticed that I was drained so I got up and walked around to shift my energy.

Quite frankly the work was sucking the life out of me so my thought was “thank goodness this isn’t my daily life anymore!” I also wondered if it would actually be easier to be an employee doing only work I love rather than dealing with these non-delegatable administrative items for my business.

When I asked myself  “for the sake of what?” I was able to reconnect to my greater purpose for my business. The excitement around my deeper why gave me the energy to get back to my computer and work through “the list”. Today I am energized, celebrating and moving forward with clarity and freedom.

Not bad for six hours, huh?

So what about you. What will you do with this question?

Will you say “yes” to discovering your answer? If you need help, schedule a free information session to find out how professional coaching will support you. My book chapter in Direct Selling Power will also help you in the discovery.

Take some time to think about the question for yourself. Knowing your answer will give you clarity and guide you in a focused direction in the choices you make and the activities you engage, improving the results you achieve in your life and business.

I’d love to hear what you think. What’s next for you? Share your comments at the blog at www.shannonbruce.com.

Photo compliments of Photoxpress © Dariusz Kopestynski

The longer I journey this path to true fulfillment I am reminded daily that there is no “one size fits all”. Your unique and rare blend of values, identity and mission are meant for you to discover, embrace and unleash for the benefit of the world at large. And news alert! You are also meant to understand these truths for the joy of your own fulfillment.

Yes, you get to enjoy you! You are beautiful! You are unique! And you deserve to embrace who you are and what you bring to others for the simple fact that when you do, you actually have more life and love available to share at home, in your community, your workplace and the world.

As little kids, you were probably told to stop bragging or boasting about yourself because it’s considered rude. For the most part this is true. However, as a little child with the inability to understand anything but black or white, you might have interpreted this comment to mean that it’s selfish and rude if you put any attention toward yourself and that you are meant to serve and give to others exclusively.

Carry this line of thinking forward into your adult life and now you deflect praise, are unable to receive thanks and put others needs before your own heart because it’s selfish otherwise right?

Wrong! This is such a lie and it’s worked for years in keeping you from discovering who you really are and the larger story you are meant to live out in the world.

So now what?

Renew your mind! Take captive every thought! Get rid of stinkin’ thinkin’!

And remember these poignant words shared in a speech by Nelson Mendela years ago:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?” Actually, who are you not to be?

YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory that is within us. And as we let our light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Marianne Williamson
Author and international lecturer on spiritual, personal and political issues.

Owning your brilliance begins with overcoming your negative self-talk. If you need help, download our free tool to Empower your Voice Within and consider partnering with one of our coaches to overcome your obstacles as you discover who you really are as you create a life of freedom and true fulfillment.

“Simplifying is really about choices – prioritizing what is important – and then sticking to those choices no matter how tempting it is to add more to your to-do list. In fact, take those tempting activities and put them on a list of things not to do. You are the only one who can assume responsibility for your time and clarify what’s really important to you.” Rick Warren

In returning from the Destiny Project Retreat in Hunt, TX, I have a lot on my plate since I was “unplugged” from technology for 6-days. In clearing my e-mails, I received the quote in a devotional from a client and it literally stopped me and took my breath away. As I read it, the truths laser pierced my heart reminding me that at every given moment, I have a choice about how I  “be” and “do” my life and work.

This idea that “I get to choose” is a hot topic for me post-Destiny Project retreat. I had the privilege of co-leading with my awesome friend and colleague Wendy Balman as we witnessed 13 incredible women break through their fears to reclaim the truth.  Each one overcame barriers and courageously pressed through the resistance to give themselves full permission to dream again. It was beautiful process to watch as each and every one uncovered their authentic desires, values, identity, mission and more.

We all left the retreat transformed, including me and Wendy. As we all re-enter the “world” after experiencing a slice of heaven on earth, we are navigating how to boldly remain on our own paths, learning  to guard our hearts as a wellspring of life. We choose to press on and persevere so we can become even more of the authentic masterpieces we are created to be.

What does this mean for you? It means this is a time to risk and simplify. Why? Because the world needs what you have to offer and the only way to unleash your true identity and to fulfill your unique mission is to follow the advice that Rick Warren has offered:

• Prioritize what is important.
• Stick to those choices no matter how tempting to add to your to-do list.
• Put those tempting activities on a “not-to-do” list.
• Assume responsibility for your time.
• Clarify what really matters.

A couple of weeks ago, I asked self-employed and work at home professionals to share their tips for balancing work and life in the summer months and beyond. The bottom line of their feedback is this: Schedule your work time and play time, let go of non-essentials and get support.

Here’s what I’m curious about for you:

• What changes do you need to make with your time as you schedule both work and play?
• What will you let go of?
• What support do you need?

All of this great advice is really about simplifying, yet clearly it’s risky based on the fact that so many, myself included, have such a hard time letting go of control. I encourage you to read the specifics that each friend shared as it could be helpful wisdom that guides in making the necessary changes in your life.

So now what? What’s your next step? I’d love to hear how you’ll simplify; feel free to share your comments at the blog at www.shannonbruce.com.

As a business owner and woman, you are busy balancing the plethora of demands between your life and work. In fact many of you had great insight about the topic which you posted to my Facebook wall, which will be shared in a future blog. However, in the interest of staying “balanced” as I prepare for the upcoming Destiny Project Retreat in Hunt, TX, I’ve decided to leverage the wisdom and share several Best Business Women Tips that I received from my friend and colleague, Krista Dunk of KB Women.

Be sure to take a moment to read the insight from the many incredible business owners that shared tips with KB Women. You can read more at the KB Women Blog.

In the meantime, here is the quote that I shared:

“Imagine your business is like a coin. There are two sides to this coin which requires your attention so you can create both a thriving life and prosperous business. One side represents discovering who you are authentically, including your values, purpose, mission and personal definition of success. The other side is about applying this insight into your daily life by establishing practical systems, like how to work with clients, ways to market your services and a schedule that leverages your time. When you address both sides, including the spiritual and the practical, you will achieve authentic success.”

As you read this quote, I wonder what’s your next step to balance both the spiritual and the practical?

When I answer this question for myself, it’s truly about leveraging who I am in a way that helps me to achieve more with less effort. In this moment, that means using what is already available to benefit you by bringing you this KB Women blog post. This honors my values of connection, impact and contribution (the spiritual side) and allows me to accomplish the preparation I need (the practical side).

What insight do you have to offer? Share your comments at the blog. And have a great week.

Picture courtesy of Photoxpress © Styf

I’m curious what makes you mad? How about sad? And what about glad? If you take a moment to think about these simple yet powerful questions, you’re actually a step closer to identifying and naming what you are passionate about, ultimately pointing you to your greater mission and purpose in life.

Let me make a clarifying point here because what I’m not asking is what activities make you mad, glad or sad. For example, I’m sure spending time on a beach in the warm sun could make you really glad. I know it would make me glad since we’ve only had about 5 sunny days in the Pacific Northwest this summer. (Thankfully today one of those sunny days this summer!)

The responses to these questions live beneath the surface of your life and connect you to the core and fabric of your being. Your deeper answers to these questions point you to a very important place, as they reveal your greater mission and purpose in the world offering a powerful foundation for making intentional and meaningful choices for your life and business.

For example, it makes me glad to hear people’s stories of  life because as I watch and/or listen I am able to notice the sparks of aliveness and resonance within them. As this happens, it makes me glad to  connect others to what really matters for them which becomes the fuel needed to create a fulfilling and inspired life. This is why I am richly blessed to work as a professional life and business coach, acting as a catalyst for life transformation in the lives of women business owners who long to make a difference.

On the flip side, it makes me mad (and sad) to know that women feel inadequate and insecure within themselves. It takes its toll on your confidence and esteem while wreaking havoc on your life and diminishing your success in your business. This is the reason I’m so passionate about living my purpose which is to help women like you overcome obstacles and discover who you are so you can boldly  live your inspired life vision with courage, confidence and authenticity.

So what moves your heart?

What makes you mad, sad and glad?

What stirs you?

You have a vital role to play in the world. When you access the answers to these deeper questions, you will find direction toward your mission and purpose which will bring you greater joy and lasting fulfillment and leave a favorable impact in the lives you touch.

As you contemplate your answers, feel free to share by posting your comments at www.shannonbruce.com. More importantly, take action upon what stirs your heart and don’t let this moment to connect with your purpose pass you by.

I am currently in a pretty awesome (and scary!) transition place in my life and work. I’ve been here before so I’m keenly aware of a “pattern” that surfaces when I’m called forth to a new level. I notice that I become very “controlling” toward my outer world in an attempt to bring peace to the chaos I feel inside. Can you relate?

I’ve also recognized that the one person in my life who takes the brunt of my “controlling” nature is my daughter as you’ll see by my post below. When I realized this (again), I decided to share the article I wrote 3 years ago on the topic to let you know that “moving forward” toward your inspired life also results in some “moving back” in order to overcome the obstacles that are in your way. It may seem like you’re “stopped” but as the spiral staircase shows, this is actually a coming back around the loop at a slightly higher place all for the purpose of moving upward to your authentic success.

I also want to make the point that when you are going through this “letting go of the old” to “make room for the new” you must practice extreme self-care. For me in this moment, it means sharing something I’ve already written so I don’t have to muster the attention and strength to be creative with a new blog post this week. (by the way, I’m redirecting you to the original article to keep this post length manageable).

As you read the article below, I invite you to ponder the following questions:

1. In what area are you being called forth to a new way of life that is more genuine and authentic?
2. What support do you need to overcome the patterns, beliefs and behaviors that are holding you back in your life and your business?
3. What’s your next step?

I welcome your comments and insight. Feel free to share by posting them at the blog at www.shannonbruce.com. If you like the article and want to receive more tips, wisdom and insight from our team, we invite you to join our community and sign-up for the Inner Wisdom Unleashed Monthly Newsletter.

The Heart of a Mother – The Power of “Yes”

Have you ever noticed that one of the first words out of a toddler’s mouth is “no”?

Hmmm. I wonder why that is?

I have been reflecting on my role as a mother and I realize that I frequently use the word “no” with my nearly 7-year old daughter, Taylor. With our recent struggles, I am aware that my overuse of this word has been a hindrance in our ability to reconnect. It’s draining me and separating us further. This is not who I want to be as her mother, nor is it the relationship I want to have with her.

I recently decided to try a different approach. I started to say “yes” more often.

I am in awe of what I have noticed…Read on here.

Photo from Photoxpress © Lars Christensen

In my expert call for the Direct Selling Telesummit, Sallie Meshell asked me this question: “Sometimes people listen to these calls, but then don’t take action, so what is the one action step you suggest the listeners take to incorporate your information into their businesses?” Before I share my answer to this question, I want to give some background to set the stage for my response.

My message in the book, “Direct Selling Power: Expert Advice to Accelerate your Business“ is not a traditional message. Essentially, it’s a message of “slowing down” in order to “speed up”. After coaching women in the industry for 7 years, along with being a leader in my own direct sales business, I’ve come to realize how vital it is to understand who you are in business and the unique values, mission and success you wish to create, not just for your business but also for your life.

You might be wondering why I see this as so important. Let me explain further.

At some point in your business you’ll go through a transition that requires you to reevaluate and assess where you’re headed and what you really want. These transitions could be as exciting as learning how to balance your life and business because of your team expansion and your rising up to the next level of leadership. It could also be the result of a lull in your business where you aren’t achieving the results you desire or envisioned.

Whatever the case, it becomes a crossroad point of choice inviting you to “slow down” in order to “speed up”. During this “slowing down” point, you need to look inward to gain the internal clarity and truth that is right for you, helping you make purposeful choices that will keep both your business and your life thriving.

What happens if you don’t look inward at this point? You run the risk of:

• Becoming overwhelmed and scattered which causes you to feel fragmented.
• Working harder with less impact yet expecting different results (aka “insanity”).
• Experiencing diminished results at home and in your work making you feel ineffective.

On the flip side, as you slow down and work through the exercises from my chapter “Ignite your Passion & Live with Purpose: A Guide to a Thriving Life and Prosperous Direct Sales Business”, you’ll come to understand your personal values, identity, mission, purpose and personal definition of success.

These filters provide a point of reference for making conscious, intentional and empowered choices that will bring internal peace and joy and greater results with less effort. In essence, your slowing down actually propels you beyond!

The truth is every business owner (and woman for that matter), needs to continually reevaluate and assess to make sure you’re on track to the inspired life you desire. After all, Alice in Wonderland was told, “If you don’t know where you’re going any road will get you there.” Why not be proactive, rather than reactive?

My answer to the question Sallie asked was simple:

• Block time in your calendar today by scheduling a non-negotiable appointment with yourself in the next few days.
• During this time, evaluate on a scale of 1-10 how satisfied you are in your life and business.
• Once you have your answer, decide what changes will improve the quality of your life and business? If you’re already at a 10, what more is possible? If you’re less than a 10 what action step will bring greater impact and fulfillment?

I assert that this time with yourself is not optional but rather a non-negotiable. Yesterday I actually shared, “Self care isn’t selfish; its essential to live out who you are completely.” What do you think?

We’ve all heard the quote that the journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. What’s the intentional step you’ll take today? Share your comments at the blog and contact me if you’d like a recording of yesterday’s call.

Enjoy your time to yourself; may it propel you into all that you hope for and imagine!

Photo Courtesy of PhotoXpress © Gale Distler

Last night as I was writing in the gratitude journal shared with my daughter, I asked a “coach-like” question about her 3rd grade year. With today being the last official day of school, I thought it would be fun to hear her answer. As I let the question out, I held my breath hoping she would be willing to answer on a deeper level, rather than the usual one word responses I typically receive.

To my surprise, she was eager, willing and ready to fully engage with me. It brought joy to my Mom’s heart and stirred the coach in me to get ready to be curious! So here’s how our conversation went.

I asked, “If you could use one word to describe your 3rd grade year, what would it be?”

She thought for a few seconds and then wondered, “Can it be two words?”

Excited to hear her answer, I said, “Absolutely.”

She shared, “New experiences.”

Wow, I thought! That’s deep and meaningful from a not-quite ten-year old. I wanted to know more so I put on my coach hat and said, “What are some of the new experiences that you’ve had this year?”

Her answers made me smile and become teary-eyed. I asked her permission to share these with you and here’s what she said:

• New friends.
• New math concepts; multiplication and division.
• Language arts; reading and writing.
• Math enrichment.
• Student council.
• P.E. was super duper fun this year; I liked doing all of the new sports, but football, not so much.

By reading this list, I’m sure you can glean a little bit about who my daughter is. She loves to read and write, is a bright girl, is an emerging leader, and loves to be physical and engage in sports. She’s a fan of math and plans to use her intelligence to become a veterinarian some day.

What is more profound than her answers is the fact that she has overcome many hurdles in her short life. In her earlier years, we spent many hours working with specialists to help her with endocrinology issues, sensory integration challenges, gastroenterology problems and some other delays. So who she is today is even more significant with these additional facts.

This conversation with her is very meaningful for me on many levels. The mother in me is proud of her for persevering and I am humbled that I have the privilege of nurturing this young girl’s spirit. The coach in me is inspired by the dreams that are developing within her and passionate about holding her bigger vision as I shepherd her heart and dreams in the coming years.

It’s ironic how all of this points to the integration in my personal and professional life. Not only is today a celebration for my family because of the end of 3rd grade, but it’s also the 4-year birthday of Inner Wisdom Coaching Services and the 1-year birthday of this blog. So, I am also celebrating professionally with this month’s team newsletter with the theme of Dreams & Visions Made Real. If you aren’t already subscribed to this newsletter, be sure to check it out because we are offering a huge discount on our “Making Dreams Real” coaching packages for you and your friends, family and colleagues.

So now I’m curious about you. What are the new experiences you are grateful for? And what are the bigger dreams that are evolving from these new experiences?

I invite you to take time to ponder these questions as you join me in the celebrations of the season. I’d love to read your comments so be sure to share at the blog at www.shannonbruce.com.

“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do than by the things you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain

Photo compliments of Photo Express © Nat Ulrich